U.S. voices concern over Myanmar army's lawsuit against religious leader
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 / 8:21 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
U.S. voices concern over Myanmar army's lawsuit against religious leader
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it was deeply concerned about the Myanmar armys filing of a lawsuit against a religious leader who told President Donald Trump the military oppressed Christians in the Buddhist-majority country.
The criminal complaint against Reverend Hkalam Samson seeks to unduly limit his freedom of expression and potentially could disrupt his critical work on behalf of tens of thousands of internally displaced people, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
She said the United States was deeply concerned by the lawsuit and that any decision to arrest Reverend Samson on the basis of his protected speech would be deeply troubling.
Samson took part in a July meeting at the White House where victims of religious persecution from a number of countries met with Trump and other U.S. officials.
Samson, of the Kachin Baptist Convention, an organization based in the northern Kachin state representing Myanmars mostly Christian Kachin minority, said Christians were being oppressed and tortured by the Myanmar military government.
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